Historic first for US Reaper drone landing under satellite control

A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper aircraft has made its first-ever landing under satellite control.

The MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle successfully landed at the Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina after launching from March Air Reserve Base in California.

The 25th Attack Group, located at Shaw Air Force Base (AFB), is home to three operational MQ-9 attack squadrons that conduct operations across the world remotely from Shaw.

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This historic flight, according to the USAF, served as a proof of concept demonstrating the ability to use a new satellite launch and recovery capability, which enables remotely piloted aircraft to get to any location in the world and set up an operation rapidly.

Lieutenant Colonel Zachary Clarke, commander of the 50th Attack Squadron, explained the complexities of operating UAVs beyond their bespoke operating sites.

"It is so much more than just moving an airplane from one spot to another," he said.

"There's coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, there's coordination with the departure unit, with the arrival unit, there's coordination with filing the flight plan, and then to back that up even further you've got all the mission planning that has to be accomplished.

"You've got the weather planning, planning the flight plan, and then you also have to add in the satellite launch and recovery."

Lt Col Clarke said the landing at Shaw AFB was followed by a day where members of the unit were able to come with their families and see the aircraft, as it was something they did not typically get to do when flying it from their remote locations.

Up until now, the MQ-9 Reaper aircraft is usually tied to specific airfields with large maintenance facilities and remote ground stations for pilots.

The Reaper has a wingspan of 20 metres and can reach altitudes of up to 50,000ft (15,240m).

It requires two crew members, who operate the drone from a ground station - a pilot to control the aircraft and run the mission, with a second crew member operating the Reaper's sensors and guiding its weapons.